Chelsea must “act like men” at West Brom tonight says Antonio Conte

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has insisted his side must take responsibility for their performances and “act like men” tonight at West Bromwich Albion.

The Blues travel to The Hawthorns after back-to-back Premier League defeats to both Bournemouth and Watford – leading to speculation of a rift behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge.

There has also been talk that Antonio Conte could be let go of his position at the Bridge, but the Italian insists he remains happy at Chelsea and his mind is totally focused on the fixture tonight.

“I’m not thinking, for one moment, about the possibility of going away from this club,” he said.

“My commitment is totally for this club, like that of my players. But, as you know very well because we are talking about football, a lot of times – I don’t agree with this – the manager and the coach depends on the results. In this case, we are having poor results. For this reason, we have to pay great attention.”

After back-to-back defeats however, Conte knows the importance of a victory tonight against Alan Pardew’s side and has backed his players to show the character needed to take home all three points.

“We are talking about players who have played at this level for many years. Honestly, I think these type of players can find the right strength to fight the fear.” said Conte.

“In every situation, positive and negative. When you have this period with such poor results, you have to divide the responsibility between me, the players and the club.”